Segments - Financial Highlights by Operating Segment (Detail) - USD ($) |
3 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apr. 30, 2019 |
Jan. 31, 2019 |
Oct. 31, 2018 |
Jul. 31, 2018 |
Apr. 30, 2018 |
Jan. 31, 2018 |
Oct. 31, 2017 |
Jul. 31, 2017 |
Apr. 30, 2019 |
Apr. 30, 2018 |
Apr. 30, 2017 |
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| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | $ 1,973,862,000 | $ 1,819,519,000 | $ 1,621,669,000 | |||||||||||
| Deferred revenue adjustment due to acquisition | 3,535,000 | |||||||||||||
| Adjusted fee revenue | 1,569,056,000 | |||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to Korn Ferry | $ 50,264,000 | $ 44,964,000 | $ 46,034,000 | $ (38,611,000) | $ 41,160,000 | $ 27,247,000 | $ 36,331,000 | $ 29,041,000 | 102,651,000 | 133,779,000 | 84,181,000 | |||
| Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest | 2,145,000 | 2,118,000 | 3,057,000 | |||||||||||
| Other income (loss), net | (10,094,000) | (11,119,000) | (10,328,000) | |||||||||||
| Interest expense (income), net | 16,891,000 | 13,832,000 | 14,607,000 | |||||||||||
| Equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries, net | (311,000) | (297,000) | (333,000) | |||||||||||
| Income tax provision | 29,544,000 | 70,133,000 | 29,104,000 | |||||||||||
| Operating income (loss) | 62,275,000 | 62,683,000 | 70,987,000 | (55,119,000) | 64,197,000 | 49,846,000 | 52,468,000 | 41,935,000 | 140,826,000 | 208,446,000 | 120,288,000 | |||
| Depreciation and amortization | 46,489,000 | 48,588,000 | 47,260,000 | |||||||||||
| Other income (loss), net | 10,094,000 | 11,119,000 | 10,328,000 | |||||||||||
| Equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries, net | 311,000 | 297,000 | 333,000 | |||||||||||
| EBITDA | 197,720,000 | 268,450,000 | 178,209,000 | |||||||||||
| Restructuring charges (recoveries), net | 0 | 78,000 | 34,600,000 | |||||||||||
| Integration/acquisition costs | 6,746,000 | 9,430,000 | 22,379,000 | |||||||||||
| Deferred revenue adjustment due to acquisition | 3,535,000 | |||||||||||||
| Separation costs | 609,000 | |||||||||||||
| Tradename write-offs | 106,555,000 | |||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | 311,021,000 | 277,958,000 | 239,332,000 | |||||||||||
| Identifiable assets | [1] | 2,334,852,000 | 2,287,914,000 | 2,334,852,000 | 2,287,914,000 | 2,062,898,000 | ||||||||
| Long-lived assets | [1] | 131,505,000 | 119,901,000 | 131,505,000 | 119,901,000 | 109,567,000 | ||||||||
| Goodwill | [1] | 578,298,000 | 584,222,000 | 578,298,000 | 584,222,000 | 576,865,000 | ||||||||
| Fee Revenue | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 490,756,000 | $ 474,504,000 | $ 495,205,000 | $ 465,568,000 | 475,364,000 | $ 447,581,000 | $ 443,018,000 | $ 401,254,000 | 1,926,033,000 | 1,767,217,000 | 1,565,521,000 | |||
| Operating Segments | Executive Search | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 793,377,000 | 727,273,000 | 636,193,000 | |||||||||||
| Adjusted fee revenue | 617,676,000 | |||||||||||||
| Operating income (loss) | 179,090,000 | 149,612,000 | 124,323,000 | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 6,982,000 | 7,482,000 | 6,385,000 | |||||||||||
| Other income (loss), net | 7,423,000 | 1,567,000 | 1,813,000 | |||||||||||
| Equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries, net | 311,000 | 297,000 | 333,000 | |||||||||||
| EBITDA | 193,806,000 | 158,958,000 | 132,854,000 | |||||||||||
| Restructuring charges (recoveries), net | 313,000 | 4,616,000 | ||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | 193,806,000 | 159,271,000 | 137,470,000 | |||||||||||
| Identifiable assets | [1] | 738,815,000 | 732,593,000 | 738,815,000 | 732,593,000 | 613,738,000 | ||||||||
| Long-lived assets | [1] | 41,096,000 | 47,868,000 | 41,096,000 | 47,868,000 | 46,468,000 | ||||||||
| Goodwill | [1] | 93,023,000 | 96,230,000 | 93,023,000 | 96,230,000 | 92,149,000 | ||||||||
| Operating Segments | Executive Search | North America | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 469,743,000 | 421,260,000 | 369,803,000 | |||||||||||
| Adjusted fee revenue | 356,625,000 | |||||||||||||
| Operating income (loss) | 120,754,000 | 100,397,000 | 81,621,000 | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 3,890,000 | 3,930,000 | 3,812,000 | |||||||||||
| Other income (loss), net | 6,388,000 | 845,000 | 844,000 | |||||||||||
| Equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries, net | 311,000 | 297,000 | 333,000 | |||||||||||
| EBITDA | 131,343,000 | 105,469,000 | 86,610,000 | |||||||||||
| Restructuring charges (recoveries), net | 1,719,000 | |||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | 131,343,000 | 105,469,000 | 88,329,000 | |||||||||||
| Identifiable assets | [1] | 427,089,000 | 411,347,000 | 427,089,000 | 411,347,000 | 340,069,000 | ||||||||
| Long-lived assets | [1] | 19,864,000 | 22,813,000 | 19,864,000 | 22,813,000 | 23,746,000 | ||||||||
| Goodwill | [1] | 46,571,000 | 47,757,000 | 46,571,000 | 47,757,000 | 46,201,000 | ||||||||
| Operating Segments | Executive Search | EMEA | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 186,131,000 | 177,234,000 | 150,113,000 | |||||||||||
| Adjusted fee revenue | 146,506,000 | |||||||||||||
| Operating income (loss) | 29,974,000 | 26,768,000 | 27,854,000 | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 1,254,000 | 1,689,000 | 1,030,000 | |||||||||||
| Other income (loss), net | 432,000 | 168,000 | (15,000) | |||||||||||
| EBITDA | 31,660,000 | 28,625,000 | 28,869,000 | |||||||||||
| Restructuring charges (recoveries), net | 629,000 | |||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | 31,660,000 | 28,625,000 | 29,498,000 | |||||||||||
| Identifiable assets | [1] | 171,120,000 | 198,815,000 | 171,120,000 | 198,815,000 | 158,927,000 | ||||||||
| Long-lived assets | [1] | 9,266,000 | 11,018,000 | 9,266,000 | 11,018,000 | 11,089,000 | ||||||||
| Goodwill | [1] | 45,480,000 | 47,501,000 | 45,480,000 | 47,501,000 | 44,976,000 | ||||||||
| Operating Segments | Executive Search | Asia Pacific | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 105,543,000 | 98,062,000 | 81,744,000 | |||||||||||
| Adjusted fee revenue | 80,169,000 | |||||||||||||
| Operating income (loss) | 24,364,000 | 18,425,000 | 8,580,000 | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 1,428,000 | 1,408,000 | 1,060,000 | |||||||||||
| Other income (loss), net | 281,000 | 373,000 | 300,000 | |||||||||||
| EBITDA | 26,073,000 | 20,206,000 | 9,940,000 | |||||||||||
| Restructuring charges (recoveries), net | 313,000 | 1,495,000 | ||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | 26,073,000 | 20,519,000 | 11,435,000 | |||||||||||
| Identifiable assets | [1] | 116,006,000 | 98,599,000 | 116,006,000 | 98,599,000 | 87,845,000 | ||||||||
| Long-lived assets | [1] | 9,255,000 | 10,834,000 | 9,255,000 | 10,834,000 | 8,371,000 | ||||||||
| Goodwill | [1] | 972,000 | 972,000 | 972,000 | 972,000 | 972,000 | ||||||||
| Operating Segments | Executive Search | Latin America | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 31,960,000 | 30,717,000 | 34,533,000 | |||||||||||
| Adjusted fee revenue | 34,376,000 | |||||||||||||
| Operating income (loss) | 3,998,000 | 4,022,000 | 6,268,000 | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 410,000 | 455,000 | 483,000 | |||||||||||
| Other income (loss), net | 322,000 | 181,000 | 684,000 | |||||||||||
| EBITDA | 4,730,000 | 4,658,000 | 7,435,000 | |||||||||||
| Restructuring charges (recoveries), net | 773,000 | |||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | 4,730,000 | 4,658,000 | 8,208,000 | |||||||||||
| Identifiable assets | [1] | 24,600,000 | 23,832,000 | 24,600,000 | 23,832,000 | 26,897,000 | ||||||||
| Long-lived assets | [1] | 2,711,000 | 3,203,000 | 2,711,000 | 3,203,000 | 3,262,000 | ||||||||
| Operating Segments | Advisory | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 838,620,000 | 801,005,000 | 741,533,000 | |||||||||||
| Deferred revenue adjustment due to acquisition | 3,535,000 | |||||||||||||
| Adjusted fee revenue | 727,721,000 | |||||||||||||
| Operating income (loss) | 5,617,000 | 100,535,000 | 47,429,000 | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 29,057,000 | 31,527,000 | 32,262,000 | |||||||||||
| Other income (loss), net | 3,198,000 | 2,501,000 | 1,900,000 | |||||||||||
| EBITDA | 37,872,000 | 134,563,000 | 81,591,000 | |||||||||||
| Restructuring charges (recoveries), net | (241,000) | 29,663,000 | ||||||||||||
| Integration/acquisition costs | 6,559,000 | 9,151,000 | 14,440,000 | |||||||||||
| Deferred revenue adjustment due to acquisition | 3,535,000 | |||||||||||||
| Separation costs | 609,000 | |||||||||||||
| Tradename write-offs | 106,555,000 | |||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | 150,986,000 | 143,473,000 | 129,838,000 | |||||||||||
| Identifiable assets | [1] | 1,045,432,000 | 1,092,474,000 | 1,045,432,000 | 1,092,474,000 | 1,057,611,000 | ||||||||
| Long-lived assets | [1] | 46,689,000 | 42,605,000 | 46,689,000 | 42,605,000 | 37,846,000 | ||||||||
| Goodwill | [1] | 457,361,000 | 458,169,000 | 457,361,000 | 458,169,000 | 457,241,000 | ||||||||
| Operating Segments | RPO and Professional Search | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 341,865,000 | 291,241,000 | 243,943,000 | |||||||||||
| Adjusted fee revenue | 223,659,000 | |||||||||||||
| Operating income (loss) | 50,884,000 | 39,396,000 | 29,995,000 | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 3,255,000 | 3,054,000 | 2,818,000 | |||||||||||
| Other income (loss), net | 268,000 | 152,000 | (91,000) | |||||||||||
| EBITDA | 54,407,000 | 42,602,000 | 32,722,000 | |||||||||||
| Restructuring charges (recoveries), net | 6,000 | 101,000 | ||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | 54,407,000 | 42,608,000 | 32,823,000 | |||||||||||
| Identifiable assets | [1] | 166,492,000 | 144,160,000 | 166,492,000 | 144,160,000 | 116,717,000 | ||||||||
| Long-lived assets | [1] | 8,980,000 | 6,390,000 | 8,980,000 | 6,390,000 | 6,693,000 | ||||||||
| Goodwill | [1] | 27,914,000 | 29,823,000 | 27,914,000 | 29,823,000 | 27,475,000 | ||||||||
| Operating Segments | Fee Revenue | Executive Search | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 774,842,000 | 709,042,000 | 617,676,000 | |||||||||||
| Operating Segments | Fee Revenue | Executive Search | North America | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 455,826,000 | 408,098,000 | 356,625,000 | |||||||||||
| Operating Segments | Fee Revenue | Executive Search | EMEA | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 182,829,000 | 173,725,000 | 146,506,000 | |||||||||||
| Operating Segments | Fee Revenue | Executive Search | Asia Pacific | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 104,291,000 | 96,595,000 | 80,169,000 | |||||||||||
| Operating Segments | Fee Revenue | Executive Search | Latin America | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 31,896,000 | 30,624,000 | 34,376,000 | |||||||||||
| Operating Segments | Fee Revenue | Advisory | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 821,048,000 | 785,013,000 | 724,186,000 | |||||||||||
| Operating Segments | Fee Revenue | RPO and Professional Search | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 330,143,000 | 273,162,000 | 223,659,000 | |||||||||||
| Corporate | ||||||||||||||
| Segment Reporting Information [Line Items] | ||||||||||||||
| Operating income (loss) | (94,765,000) | (81,097,000) | (81,459,000) | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 7,195,000 | 6,525,000 | 5,795,000 | |||||||||||
| Other income (loss), net | (795,000) | 6,899,000 | 6,706,000 | |||||||||||
| EBITDA | (88,365,000) | (67,673,000) | (68,958,000) | |||||||||||
| Restructuring charges (recoveries), net | 220,000 | |||||||||||||
| Integration/acquisition costs | 187,000 | 279,000 | 7,939,000 | |||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | (88,178,000) | (67,394,000) | (60,799,000) | |||||||||||
| Identifiable assets | [1] | 384,113,000 | 318,687,000 | 384,113,000 | 318,687,000 | 274,832,000 | ||||||||
| Long-lived assets | [1] | $ 34,740,000 | $ 23,038,000 | $ 34,740,000 | $ 23,038,000 | $ 18,560,000 | ||||||||
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